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I have always been a vintage Vespa guy, but sometimes consider a modern scooter to add to my collection. I think I can forgive the lack of a manual box, but I have never really liked the look of modern Vespas. Same with modern Lambrettas. No offense, I just don't.

Scomadi scooters seem to have the best of the new and old, but they don't seem to be available in the USA. Just wondering if that was ever going to be a possibility. I don't know much about Royal Alloy, other than that they are sold in the US.

Thanks.
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Royal Alloy are getting a good reputation around here. They're sold by Scooterville in Minneapolis.
p.s. They're available in 150 and 300 cc, too.
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A Royal Alloy 300cc ran and finished the Cannonball cross country run.
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JKJ-FZ6 wrote:
Royal Alloy are getting a good reputation around here. They're sold by Scooterville in Minneapolis.
p.s. They're available in 150 and 300 cc, too.
Thanks! I like the way they look and I think they are steel bodied. And 300cc's from the factory…
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I love tinkering with my old VW bus and vintage Vespas. I also love doing nothing at all to my Subaru Forester other than driving it and changing the oil.
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Scooterville has a nice Royal Alloy and sidecar combo.
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Royal Alloy scooters are imported into the US by Genuine Scooters which is a reputable company with a long history. They have a national dealer network, though some dealers do not carry the Royal Alloy line. Go take a look at one.

https://www.genuinescooters.com/product/grand-prix-300s/

https://www.genuinescooters.com/product/grand-tourer-150/
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JKJ-FZ6 wrote:
Royal Alloy are getting a good reputation around here. They're sold by Scooterville in Minneapolis.
p.s. They're available in 150 and 300 cc, too.
I didn't know that there was a Royal Alloy dealership in the Twin Cities. I've been kind of interested in the 300.

I was starting to give some thought to buying a new GTS 300 next spring, but keeping my '20 Vespa 300, and perhaps adding a RA Lambretta-esque 300 might be an interesting option, especially after gaining experience with my GTS's maintenance requirements.

If I'm correct, the Royal Alloy's 300 powertrain is a licensed Vespa unit almost identical to the Italian machine's?
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JBacklund wrote:
If I'm correct, the Royal Alloy's 300 powertrain is a licensed Vespa unit almost identical to the Italian machine's?
I don't know anything about that.
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JBacklund wrote:
If I'm correct, the Royal Alloy's 300 powertrain is a licensed Vespa unit almost identical to the Italian machine's?
My understanding is that the 300 engine in the RA is a licensed version of a pre-HPE Piaggio design.
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Dooglas wrote:
My understanding is that the 300 engine in the RA is a licensed version of a pre-HPE Piaggio design.
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I've seen the Royal Alloy scoots up close in dealership and on group rides.

The seem to be pretty capable, fit and finish is nice. The riding position will be cramped for taller/long legged riders.

Also, the fuel tank on both the 150 and 300 is under the seat. There is no storage bucket underneath. The glovebox is all you get.

Check out Robot's detailed video review...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfcMSrqYrWk
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Thanks. If it's not more cramped than a vintage Vespa, Im not worried.
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I've been a fan of vintage Vespas before they were vintage. Over 50 years. But a modern 4 stroke CVT copy just won't do. While I do love the looks of the now vintage Vespas, I mostly want the substance. The simple and beautiful sounding 2 stroke engine, the manual transmission and clutch, the interaction between the rider and the machine, and the overall mechanicalness of it. Vintage Vespas use 1940s technology. Back in 2009, I made an impulse decision to buy the last 2 stroke Genuine Stella my local dealer had in stock. It was probably the last new one in the state. And I have not regretted it. It has provided an amazing amount of fun over the last 14 years and 15,000+ miles, and has been almost trouble free. That "clunk" when you shift gears is very satisfying. Actual mechanical parts meshing together, controlled by a cable.
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There's nothing like the link between person and machine that a clutch and gearbox provides.
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VintageScooterDude wrote:
I've been a fan of vintage Vespas before they were vintage. Over 50 years. But a modern 4 stroke CVT copy just won't do. While I do love the looks of the now vintage Vespas, I mostly want the substance. The simple and beautiful sounding 2 stroke engine, the manual transmission and clutch, the interaction between the rider and the machine, and the overall mechanicalness of it. Vintage Vespas use 1940s technology. Back in 2009, I made an impulse decision to buy the last 2 stroke Genuine Stella my local dealer had in stock. It was probably the last new one in the state. And I have not regretted it. It has provided an amazing amount of fun over the last 14 years and 15,000+ miles, and has been almost trouble free. That "clunk" when you shift gears is very satisfying. Actual mechanical parts meshing together, controlled by a cable.
My first Vespa was a Taiwanese PGO 150 bought new in 1987. I lacked the skills and knowledge to repair it when the cruciform broke and bent the primary shaft.

35 years later, picked up a Stella, P200 and a '62 VBB. I guess I don't think of them as vintage, because I'm kinda vintage myself at this point. I just love the fact that any of those engines could fit into any of those bikes.

I will always prefer vintage scooters (and cars), but I do appreciate the comfort, reliability and lack of maintenance of modern vehicles. I'm not in a hurry to have a modern scooter and would have to at least try one first.
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kz1000ST wrote:
There's nothing like the link between person and machine that a clutch and gearbox provides.
That's why I convinced my wife to buy a Miata MX-5 with the standard 6-speed manual instead of an auto version....which should be illegal, by the way.

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JBacklund wrote:
That's why I convinced my wife to buy a Miata MX-5 with the standard 6-speed manual instead of an auto version....which should be illegal, by the way.


I have a 2016 Scion iA which is a thinly veiled Mazda 2 sedan. I bought it new with a six speed manual. it might not be a Miata but it gets along well for its size and corners pretty nicely.
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JBacklund wrote:
That's why I convinced my wife to buy a Miata MX-5 with the standard 6-speed manual instead of an auto version....which should be illegal, by the way.


My daily driver is a 6 speed Subaru Forester. Not an exciting car, but I have always preferred manual, especially the control it gives me in the snow. My older son learned to drive on that car. Even modern autos never shift when you want them to…There is nothing like that connection you feel with the machine.

Ironically, my 73 VW bus is a 3 speed automatic. Quirky, agricultural old box. It came from the factory that way and just keeps going, so I just roll with it.
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I can't imagine a scooter with a manual clutch and four-speed(?) transmission, though I know that the vintage, classic, early machines were commonly that way.

I suppose the closest experience I had with such a machine was with my younger brother's 1966 Harley-Davidson (Aermacchi) M-50 Sport, which used a hand clutch with a rotating left grip shifter just like those scooters had. I think his M-50 was a three-speed, and put out about 3.5 hp. It might have been able to hit 45 mph on a good day, with a featherweight teenage pilot at the bars.

Before my Vespa, the only bikes I owned that I could call a 'scooter' were a handful of Suzuki Burgman 650's.
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